Seattle MixMatch: Social Media, PR and Life

Memo.m4a

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Thanks,
Aaron Blank

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Memo.m4a

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Memo.m4a (877 KB)

Thanks,
Aaron Blank

Sent from my iPhone

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Here is a short audio podcast from Guidant Financial CEO and co-founder David Nilssen.

The Fearey Group, one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading independent public relations and public affairs firms, today announced it has hired Heidi Happonen as senior vice president. In this role, Happonen will be responsible for planning and leading a variety of public relations programs and maintaining relationships on behalf of a diverse roster of Seattle’s most recognized businesses and organizations.

Happonen brings more than 15 years of international marketing and communications experience to the firm. Most recently, Happonen designed and implemented communications programs for Ocean Companies, one of the West Coast’s largest seafood companies.

“Heidi’s extensive public relations expertise leading in-house communications programs, combined with her deep agency background made her a natural fit for The Fearey Group and its future,” said Pat Fearey, CEO and founder of the company. “We are thrilled to have her join our leadership team where we know she will foster continued success for our agency, its staff and clientele.”

Earlier in her career, Happonen held a supervisory position with DDB’s Seattle PR office, where she worked on a variety of regional and national companies like McDonalds, Space Needle and BD&A. She also developed public relations programs for various real estate developers and financial firms such as Steadfast Commercial Properties, a leading real estate investment management company, and MILA, Inc., a high-tech wholesale mortgage lender. She also ran her own boutique public relations firm, Happonen Communications, before starting at Ocean Companies.

“The Fearey Group has maintained its presence in the Seattle market as an independent agency for more than 30 years,” said Happonen. “It is a well-respected agency that is able to marry deep experience with cutting-edge creativity. For years, I’ve watched the firm grow its capabilities while conducting innovative public relations strategies for its clients. I’m honored to be a part of The Fearey Group’s team.”

She has successfully secured coverage in major media outlets, including Wall Street Journal, AP, USA Today, ESPN and NPR. She has also launched numerous new products and services, and has been recognized with a host of awards including several Public Relations Society of America Totem Awards, a National Clarion Award for Online Communications, and the International MarCom Award from the Association of Marketing and Communications. 

Happonen holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Writing from Temple University and is currently working toward her Masters in Business Administration from Washington State University.

About The Fearey Group

The Fearey Group is one of the leading independent public relations and public affairs firms in the Pacific Northwest. For more than 30 years, the full-service agency has provided communications services for some of the region’s leading public, private and non-profit organizations and has strong practices in the areas of healthcare, biotechnology, real estate and land use, finance, transportation, nonprofit, consumer marketing and crisis communications. The firm is also a founding member of the Public Relations Global Network, an international organization of leading independent, owner-operated public relations agencies. PRGN has extraordinary global reach and includes more than 40 member agencies hailing from the United States, Central and South America, Europe, Canada, the Pacific Rim, South Asia and the Caribbean.

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Media Contact:

Aaron Blank, (206) 343-1543, aaronblank@feareygroup.com, Twitter: @SeattleBlank

The Get Engaged Tour eliminates the questions and complexities of social media and gets right down to the tips and resources that help you build a better business and become more profitable

SEATTLE, Wash. – September 6, 2011 – Social media is everywhere. Everyone is on Facebook and most people are on Twitter. But really understanding how to engage with brides and grooms online is not as easy as it sounds. Running a business, working every weekend, developing business leads throughout the week – when does someone have the time to manage their social media presence? The second annual Get Engaged Tour (www.thegetengagedtour.com) is an intensive two-day social media workshop in Seattle for wedding professionals to help the busy entrepreneur learn the latest best practices for social networking: how to stay on the cutting edge of digital connections, interactions, communication, and most importantly, building relationships.

Social media has been defined as a return to old-fashioned roots of real conversations rather than the high-tech race to keep up with the next big thing. The Get Engaged Tour has been designed for wedding pros from all size businesses who are interested in connecting with clients, digitally. Gaining insights into how your customers engage online can be the strong marketing tool that gives you the strategic advantage in today’s business environment. The two-day Get Engaged Tour workshops will take place at SoDo Park on November 14, 2011 and at Ray’s Boathouse on November 15, 2011.

“Wedding professionals are looking for real world practical information that they can use to streamline conversation, reduce costs, improve efficiency and improve profit margins,” said Lacey Yantis, co-director of The Get Engaged Tour 2011. “Social media is just another tool in the tool box that offers the ability to find business or interact with your clients online. The Get Engaged Tour workshop has been designed to offer the latest advancement in social media from industry professionals.”

The Get Engaged Tour attendees will learn basic tactics, must-dos and advanced techniques for marketing on search engines and websites, while using social media to drive business leads. The Get Engaged workshops are designed with topics and discussions that will prove valuable at every level of experience. Attendees will enjoy networking activities and lunch where they can relax, discuss the latest trends, and make new industry contacts.

“The “Get Engaged Tour 2010” was the most valuable and informative conference that I have ever attended,” said Lori Magaro, public relation and marketing director for Ray’s Boathouse and an attendee of the 2010 Get Engaged Tour. “Not only did the conference help me get a handle on the technical aspect of using Twitter and Facebook, the program helped me figure out the purpose and direction of my efforts.”

When you leave The Get Engaged Tour workshop, you will have valuable resourceful information at your fingertips, new actionable items to move your business online, and insights into the many questions people have about social media, along with many new business contacts in the wedding profession to stay connected online.

“Social media has become an invaluable tool for connecting with our guests and building relationships, Magaro said. “The intimate atmosphere of the conference really encouraged participation, networking and the sharing of ideas. This is the first time I've ever been able have a meaningful conversation with the presenters who really care about the success of the people who attended. We highly recommend it to anyone in the wedding industry at any social media level of expertise.”

The Get Engaged Tour, over two days, includes a mixture of workshops, tutorials, keynotes and breakout sessions all focused on making social media easy to use and understand in your business. Topics range from “Maximizing your “Tweets” to the Fullest Potential” to “How Social Media enhances your Search Engine Optimization results”. Every session is designed to enhance your online experience.  

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 Public Relations Senior Account Executive

The Fearey Group, one of the region’s leading independent public relations/public affairs agencies, is seeking to hire an experienced, talented senior account executive.

Requirements:

·         Three to five years of public relations experience with no less than two years agency experience (this is a must!)

·         Outstanding media relations with demonstrated results – Great media contacts

·         Excellent writing and verbal skills

·         Proven ability to manage and implement successful client programs

·         Excellent client relations skills

·         A degree in marketing communications, public relations or journalism

·         Experience in healthcare, finance and/or real estate is a plus

·         Knowledgeable in all things digital including social media, online reputation management, mobile and more

Responsibilities:

If selected, the candidate will have the opportunity to work on a variety of well‐known, high profile local and national accounts. Responsibilities include:

·         Taking the lead on major media initiatives

·         Developing and implementing public relations programs with quantifiable results

·         Managing the development of plans, press materials and other written communications;

·         Fostering good client and media relationships

·         Tracking budgets and timelines

·         Mentoring junior staff and interns

First‐Class Benefit Package 

The Fearey Group offers a competitive and extensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, medical, dental and vision coverage. Our generous 401(k) plan includes profit sharing

and employer match. For more information about The Fearey Group, please visit www.feareygroup.com.

Please send resume and cover letter to Christine Nettles at chrisn@feareygroup.com (no phone calls please).